Bubble tea spot Yaaas Tea opens in Huntington
An iced salted caramel brûlée boba drink and cream puffs at Yaaas Tea in Huntington. Credit: Joann Vaglica
Bubble tea spot Yaaas Tea, launched last year in Farmingdale, has expanded with the opening of its Huntington location on New York Ave.
Co-founder Kelly Zhou uses her own brown-sugar recipe to add flavoring to tapioca pearls, more commonly known as boba. Here, it's cooked for three hours at a time and served fresh every hour.
Cooking it is “very labor intensive,” Zhou said, adding that pre-cooked boba is offered, but “it’s like microwaved pasta versus gourmet pasta.”
The spot’s signature brown sugar drink combines boba with your choice of milk, a savory cheezo cream and caramelized brown sugar. Beyond that, look for the iced salted caramel brûlée with espresso, milk, brown sugar boba and caramel topped with sea salt cream; the hot cloud latte (double espresso, steamed milk and sea salt cream); the Oreo slush (frappé with brown sugar boba, Oreos and sea salt cream) and fresh lemonade available in strawberry, orangeade and peach flavors.
Oolong and Jasmine green teas are used as the bases of its iced tea drinks, while an earl grey is used for its milk tea drinks.
Aside from its signature boba, toppings also include strawberry and mango popping bobas (not as firm as its signature) and lychee jelly.
There's a handful of bakery items available such as cream puffs with vanilla cream tucked inside; airy Oreo and red velvet cakes (made with a light, not-as-sweet Asian chiffon cake) and tiramisu.
The Huntington and Farmingdale locations mirror each other with a cashless (and cashier-less) business model, and menu, although there’s more seating in the newest location (about 15 seats).
A Hauppauge location is slated to open this summer in Motor Parkway Plaza.
Yaaas Tea is open Sundays to Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays until 9 p.m. at 347 New York Ave. in Huntington. More info: 631-271-7777, yaaastea.com
